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Topic: would i gain any write speed from fast CF on an old 5Dc? (Read 3533 times)

currently using Sandisk Ultra (probably their slowest card now ) on my 5D1.

i find this combo to be very slow for writing speed (don't really care for reading speed).

and seeing these Extreme (not Extreme Pro) CF cards goes for $35 for 8GB at B&H, wondering if running one of these faster CF would benefit me at all? or is it limited by my buffer? which seems to be small?

I shoot Jpeg most of the time now becoz of this, shooting Raw is really lagging.

i assume the 5d2 and 5d3 has larger buffer, wondering what user with older Canon body like mine are using and want to hear their experience.

your current card has been used a lot. NAND memory cells have limited life. the memory controller will remap away from dead cells, sure, but the longer you use the card, more chances of a bad write.

CF card prices are cheap. You don't even have to buy the highest speed, 1000x by Lexar, you can go for 600x, or even 400x. That way, you don't pay the premium for the current fastest.

higher capacity. more shots on the card. the minimum available is probably double the size of your current card.

gives you a chance to get rid of your sandisk cards and switch to Lexar. If you look at Rob Galbraith's CF database, Lexar occupies a majority of top ten spots. The database doesn't have the 5D classic, and the camera won't take advantage of UDMA cards, but... by getting a card faster than the camera can write, you are certain that the bottle neck is the camera and not the card.

thanks for your reply, very informative! know nothing about those memory cells

Lexar do look faster than the Sandisk from Rob Galbraith's CF database, plus B&H is having a sale with them too!

does formatting the card frequently helps? if so, format at the computer or camera?

Not really, it's just generally (for most purposes) way to wipe the card than have it delete the files one by one. Sometimes a camera may have some issues reading/writing to the card if it's not formatted in that camera, although that's pretty uncommon.

thanks for your reply, very informative! know nothing about those memory cells

Lexar do look faster than the Sandisk from Rob Galbraith's CF database, plus B&H is having a sale with them too!

does formatting the card frequently helps? if so, format at the computer or camera?

Not really, it's just generally (for most purposes) way to wipe the card than have it delete the files one by one. Sometimes a camera may have some issues reading/writing to the card if it's not formatted in that camera, although that's pretty uncommon.

Yeah. I made it a habit to format the card in camera before a shoot. This, as Drizz', stated is just a quick way to delete all the images on card. Also, this alleviates any issues with filenames if the card is used between multiple cameras.

currently using Sandisk Ultra (probably their slowest card now ) on my 5D1.

i find this combo to be very slow for writing speed (don't really care for reading speed).

and seeing these Extreme (not Extreme Pro) CF cards goes for $35 for 8GB at B&H, wondering if running one of these faster CF would benefit me at all? or is it limited by my buffer? which seems to be small?

I shoot Jpeg most of the time now becoz of this, shooting Raw is really lagging.

i assume the 5d2 and 5d3 has larger buffer, wondering what user with older Canon body like mine are using and want to hear their experience.

Thanks!

The fast speeds on modern cards are due to UDMA. Your 5DC does not have UDMA, so you will gain little speed and might even lose some.Don't waste your money.

currently using Sandisk Ultra (probably their slowest card now ) on my 5D1.

i find this combo to be very slow for writing speed (don't really care for reading speed).

and seeing these Extreme (not Extreme Pro) CF cards goes for $35 for 8GB at B&H, wondering if running one of these faster CF would benefit me at all? or is it limited by my buffer? which seems to be small?

I shoot Jpeg most of the time now becoz of this, shooting Raw is really lagging.

i assume the 5d2 and 5d3 has larger buffer, wondering what user with older Canon body like mine are using and want to hear their experience.

Thanks!

Yes, You should get better cards. I used Sandisk Extreme 16gb cards on my 5Dc and I Never hit the buffer much and when I did, It was cleared quickly.

I find myself saving at least 2 of the 90MB/s cards for the 5Dc when I'm on a shoot because if I end up shooting at a 2 or 3 second interval on anything other than the Extreme Pros..I hit the buffer more often than not. Of course, it depends on what I'm filming but when it catches up to the buffer.. it does it in the first 5 minutes of shooting.

I should also note that I only shoot in RAW. If you shoot in JPEG I don't think it'd be a problem.

I know it technically shouldn't be able to benefit...but I've tested it many times and it does. I don't think it's that it can't benefit from a higher speed card (UDMA), it's just that it can't take advantage of the entire benefits? I've shot over 30 timelapses in the past 4 months on that camera with and without the 90MB/s cards. Haven't had a problem with hitting the buffer at a 2 second interval except when using anything less than a 600X card. And to test it, I've even swapped between cards for shooting the same subject matter with other variables held constant (or as close as can be considered constant).

it stinks that the Sandisk EP 16GB is $90 while the Sandisk E 32GB is $85.. but given the current sale B&H is having on Lexar 32GB 1000X CF cards...at $128 a piece.. it's worth it IMO.